Changed. by Rose PART 2&3: Luna nearly fell over. Raids were what everyone feared. Youma and loyal soldiers would break into a home, do whatever they liked with the women, and then beat the men until they revealed the location of the safe or hidden money. Then, they would be murdered. The worst thing was, there was no warning. The youma needed no excuse. When they felt like torturing someone, they picked a random house and then... I'll spare you most of the details. "Okay, Rei. Where at?" "It's just a few blocks from your house, from what I saw. The fire can be vague." The screen went blank. Usagi quickly called Ami and told her. Then, she held up her locket. "Usagi-chan, that was one youma. There will be at least three, and soldiers!" Luna protested. "Luna, we must try." Usagi said. She summonded her will. "MOON SILVER POWER, MAKE *UP*!" She ordered. Luna watched while the girl transformed, and then jumped to the window. Like magic, the rain was ceasing. Was it the light? Luna wondered. Could it be the light was reutrning, and the darkness was slowly fading? "Okay. I need you to stay here in case my mom comes back. Put your face into the pillow and mumble." Sailor Moon told the cat as she stuffed pillows under the blankets until it looked enough like a human form. "I'll be back." She flashed Luna the V for Victory sign as she dropped out of the window. "I do hope so, Usagi, my Hime-chan." ************************ "It's freezing!" Mercury complained, standing in the shadows, where they were listening for anything unusual. "Come on. I hear screams." Mars whispered. Sailor Moon had her staff out, grimly running toward the house with the crashing sounds and yelling. The neighbors wouldn't do anything. They would simply lay there and pretend they didn't hear it. If they tried to interfere, their family could and would be killed before their eyes and then they would be drowned in ice. Nice place to live, huh? "Alright. Here's our break." Sailor Moon murmured, and kicked open the door. A youma met her eyes. With a swift movement, the end of her saff connected with it's skull, making a cracking sound as the youma fell, unconsious... or dead. "Good move." Mars said, stepping over it. Sailor Moon took the stairs in two leaps, Mercury and Mars behind her. Mercury kicked open the bedroom door. A man was tied up, two soldiers kicking him brutally, enjoying his screams of pain. The entrance of the girls went unnoticed to them. In the corner, a youma was terrorizing a woman that looked like the guy's wife. That left at least one youma and maybe a few soldiers missing. Sailor Moon spun around. She could take care of these, she felt it. "Mars, you go search for anything else. Who knows what they're doing to whoever else is in here. Merc, go with her. It's just a youma and some guys. It should be a piece of cake." Famous last words. "Okay-- yell if you need help." Mercury seemed unsure about leaving their leader. Mars grabbed her wrist and ran down the hallway, kicking open doors. Sailor Moon turned her attentions to the youma. She took a deep breath, and then slammed her staff on the floor. BAM! "Alright, you sleeze. Let them go." She said. "An agent of Love and Justice, I am Sailor Moon!" She narrowed her eyes as they laughed at her. The couple had hope in their eyes, that maybe, somehow, this girl with the confident pose could save them. Weird people, huh? "A child impersonating dead warriors?" one of the soldiers was nearly doubled over. "Beryl's going to have a field day with this one. Frank, tie her up while we finish here. She can watch." He said to the other guy. Sailor Moon fought down giggles. 'Yeah, come on. Tie me up. Take another step, buddy-boy. Come on.' She thought, golden energy gathering in the center of the crsent moon of her staff. Frank went unnoticed to her thoughts. "Moon Beam." She murmured. A blast of white errupted from her hand. She ignored the searing pain she felt as the power traveled through her body and hit Frank square in the chest, knocking him back *through* the wall. The youma and the guy stopped in their tracks and stared at the large hole in the wall. They turned to her. Sailor Moon was thankful the debirs of the wall hid the certainly dead man from her view. "Yeah, Beryl's gonna have a field day alright! A senshi! ALIVE!" the youma roared. "She's gonna have a field day with our ASSES!" "She won't have the chance." Sailor Moon said. She quickly took out the soldier before he was able to jerk the gun from his holster. He landed beside his friend. She was able to see him. A bloody hole was though his chest, making his insides clear to her eyes. His eyes were glazed over, lifeless. His skin stained red by the frantic pouring of blood. Blood burbled from his lips. A face-off. The youma and Sailor Moon circled each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. The couple watched in facination and terror. The youma lept for Sailor Moon, claw outstreched. She blocked him with her staff. She kicked at him. He jumped away. She clunked him in the head with her staff. He swung at her, connecting with her jaw. She staggered back, stunned. The youma took advantage of the moment. With one razor hand, he slashed a scarlet mark that went from two inches above her navel to her side, almost hitting where the ribs and spine connected, cutting deep. She stumbled, then rose to her full height. "MOON LOVELY RAINBOW KISS!" She screamed. The youma burst into dust. She fell back against the wall, trying to stop the blood with one hand. "Dammit." She murmured, almost passing out from the pain. The woman, realizing the danger was gone, jumped into action. She was a calm, rational woman by nature. She knew the girl was hurt. She ran to the bathroom, grabbed some cloth and some antiseptic and ran back, She knelt beside Sailor Moon, who had her teeth clenched from the pain. "You're bleeding pretty bad." The woman stated the obvious. "Oh, god." Sailor Moon muttered. The woman wiped away what blood she could, but the bodice of the fuku was almost completely stained red. She put the medice and wrapped the cloth around it. "You'll need to see a doctor." "No! Are you crazy? The Dark Kingdom runs the world. I walk into a hospital like this, I'm dead. I can barely fight off one youma by myself..." Sailor Moon moaned. She stood up, leaning on her staff. "Thank you." "It's okay... my god... Beth..." The woman ran for the door. "Mars and Mercury..." Sailor Moon followed behind her, limping as fast as she could with aid of the staff. Already blood was showing through the bandage. "AQUA HALLUCINATION WHIRL!" They heard. The door was nearly blown off it's hinges. The woman and Sailor Moon fell into the room. Mars and Mercury were standing in front of a young girl, about seven, with some minor scratches. A pile off dust and three dead bodies lay scattered about the room. Murder. What they were doing was no better, perhaps, than what the soldiers had been about to do. Was it? "Usa-- Sailor Moon!" Mercury yelled, and ran to help her friend. "I'm okay... Come on, before the police get here." Sailor Moon whispered. "Ja ne!" Mars yelled to Beth and her mother, as they helped Sailor Moon from the house and into an alley. "There's a hospital about a block from here. if we dehenshin, we can get her to it and tell them...." Mercury searched her mind. "A girl came in with something like this. She said she'd stumbled onto a mad dog." She powered down. Mars followed. Sailor Moon hesitated. "I don't know if I can... the pain's bad enough when I'm super-human..." "Come on, you baby." Rei teased. Sailor Moon clenched her teeth and powered down in a flash of light. She was in a pair of shorts and a tank top, appropiate for the time of the year. "Um, Ami... you better get home. You've a mother that will proably check up on you. Luna's saving for me." Usagi said, her teeth clenched. "I'll go with you." Rei said. "Grandpa doesn't wake up until I wake him." "Okay. Call me first thing in the morning, Usagi-chan." Ami said, backing up a few steps, before running off. "Damn..." Usagi let out her breath in a big whoosh. She sucked it back in as new pain overwhelmed her. "Come on." Rei said, putting Usagi's arm around her shoulder. ************************** "I need a doctor!" Rei yelled, pushing open the emergency room doors. By now, the blood had soaked the bandage and was running down Usagi's leg. She was only half concious. "Make the room stop swirling..." She muttered, wondering why she barely felt the pain anymore. "Right!" A man, with black hair and dark blue eyes threw aside the chart he had been looking at and yelled some ordered at a nurse. He ran to Rei and Usagi, picking the girl up. "What happened?" he barked. "We were attacked by a mad dog... it was crazy or something." Rei said, using th alibi Ami had provided. "Uh-huh. How long has she been like this?" "Just a few minutes. She's strong.. she was totally concious a few minutes ago... will she be okay?" Rei worried. They lifted her on a bed. "I think so. I'm Dr. Chiba." "Hino ..." Can't give your real name, girl. "Iku. Hino Iku." She supplyed. "Her name is Hino Serena. She's my sister." 'Yeah, right. And I'm her brother. And here's no way this was made by a dog.' Dr. Chiba scoffed to himself. He just nodded and removed the hasty bandage. A nurse came to clean out the wound and re-bandage it. Rei watched, not flinching. ~Ten Minutes Later~~ Dr. Chiba pulled Rei aside into his office. He was an extraordanary case. he was only nineteen, but had his MD, thanks to the war. Doctors had been needed then and anyone with any experince whatsoever was slapped with a diploma and shoved onto the battle fields before they could blink. "What is it? Isn't she okay?" Rei asked. "I know you're lying." He said. Rei opened her mouth to protest. "But--" "No, it's okay. I know you're not going to tell me what happened. I probably don't want to know. That wound was made with a sharp object." "I don't know how she got it." Rei murmured. "I figured. The good news is she's fine. As soon as she wakes up, you can leave. She won't even have to come back for the removal of the stitches. They'll fall out when the cut is gone. She lost a lot of blood, so she'll need to take it easy." 'Like that's happening.' Rei thought to herself. "Fine, Dr. Chiba." Rei sighed. "Call me Mamoru." "Okay. I've got to go wake her up. Her parents are going to kill me." "I figured she wasn't your sister either." "Oh, in some ways." Rei said. Mamoru looked at her strangely, but let her exit the office. She all but ran to Usagi's room. "Usagi, wake up right now. We've to get out of here before the cops come asking questions." Rei whispered, shaking the girl. Rei hoped that their parents wouldn't notice the scratches and bruises they all had. "I'm up..." Usagi moaned. "Just so tired... and it hurts...." "I know. But Luna can't put on your clothes and go to school for you. Come on girl." Rei helped her stand up. "If the cops come around asking about any girls injured that just walked in, they're going to point them to us. I've given them fake neames, and the way we're all scruffed up should throw them off with descriptions." Rei explained, as they walked to the doors. "Okay. We live in oppisite directions. I can make it. Bye, Rei-chan." "Bye, Usagi-chan. Tell Luna we're okay." Rei yelled as she ran off. Usagi closed her eyes and took two deep breathes before almost falling. "Dammit." She murmured. A hand was on her shoulder. She spun around, only to look into the eyes of the doctor that treated her. "What do you want?" She snapped. "Ouch. Cobra." He chuckled. "Actually, I was wondering if you needed a ride home. I know you're in too much pain to walk, no matter what you told your friend." Usagi blushed. 'He was trying to be nice, baka, and you nearly bit his head off.' "Okay... I guess. but aren't you--" "Working? No, I just got off." he said. "I'm Mamoru. My car's over there." He pointed to a black mercedes. *********************** "Where do you live?" He asked, after he had dfrove for a few minutes. Usagi hesitated before giving him an address from the street next to her's. "That's where the old Juuban district was, eh? My school was there. I go there everyday almost, to see my friend, Motoki. He runs the arcade." "I know him." Usagi said, offhandedly. "Uh-hmm." Mamoru glanced at her. Her hair was tangled and filled with dust. Dirt and blood was streaked across her face. The rest of her body wasn't much better. "You look like you've been in the middle of a gang fight." He said, thoughtfully. "Hardly." "Then what happened? Your friend just said she didn't know how you got it, although she tried to throw a mad dog story at us. The same thing happened with a girl last year. Didnt believe her, either." "I'm not about to tell you." "Attitude, huh? That's what you get for trying to make civilized conversation these days." He shook his head. "I just want to go home, get into the bath without waking my parents, and try to sleep. I stress TRY." "You're a tough one, huh? What are you doing at this hour, anyways?" "Bad dreams." "Must have been one hell of a dream." "I wish." Usagi rolled her eyes and watched the neon lights of the stores pass by the windows. She was thinking. The last thing she wanted to do was remember how she had killed those soldiers. Youma were one thing. Soldiers, well, they were at least PART human. "Wish what?" "That is was a dream." She said, trying to force the images from her head. "Maybe it was. Maybe I'll wake up in a few seconds, and this will all be one big dream. I've already had my share of nightmares tonight." "Nightmares?" Mamoru asked. 'Maybe if I get her guard down she'll tell me what happened. I don't know why, but I feel like I have to protect her.' "Yeah. The old, someone comes to warn you then a cobra flies at your head. The warning scares the crap out of you anyway, but the snake...." Usagi shuddered. "Warning? What warning?" Mamoruinquired. Usagi turned in the seat to stare at him. "She said, Beware of the Dark. The Shadows are near." The words came back to he, floating in her mind, like the winds on a sunny day... "The dark? Why would anyone be afraid of the dark?" "Don't laugh at her, dammit. That means something. Beware of Beryl, you fool. Don't you get it? The evil lurk in the shadows, for they cannot exist in the light. They are the Dark. The one who holds the light must shine it into the corners, destroy them. I must destroy Beryl... for I am the only one who can." Usagi said, without thinking. "Are you okay?" Mamoru felt her forehead, leaving one hand to drive the car. "No fever..." "Let me out here. I can walk." Usagi said. "One who does not see Beryl is evil is blind. But even the Blind know it." Mamoru shrugged as he stopped the car, a few blocks from Usagi's house. She jumped out of the car. "Arigato for the ride."] ************************** "Good God, Usagi! You look awful! What happened?" Luna was nearly beside her self in shock and worry when Usagi climbed through her window, looking like she did, covered in blood. The sun was peeking up over the horizen. "I got hit. I'm okay... really. I powered down and got some stitches. I need a shower... God, Luna, here's my communicator. Call Ami and Rei and tell them I'm fine." She threw the pink thing at the bed before disappearing into the bathroom. The sounds of the water hid her crying from the cat. 'What have I done?' Usagi asked herself, as she stood under the hot water, as hot as she could make it go. 'I nearly got myself killed, I *killed*...' 'They would have killed you unless you did what you did.' 'I should have found another way...' 'What could you have done? Ask them to leave, all polite? You saw how those two soldiers reacted. Beryl must have told them about you. It's a good thing you left that youma alive... now Beryl will have a huge threat. She'll panic. She'll be furious. Those will distract her.' 'Oh, my god. I hadn't thought about that youma.' "Usagi? Is that you?" Ikuko knocked on the door. "It's time to get up, honey." 'It is?' "Yeah, Mom. Decided to get up early. I'll be out in a minute." "Okay, honey. Just hurry, okay? You've got that big test tomorrow." "Kay, Mama." Usagi hurriedly washed her hair and face and body, carefully avoiding the stiches. She knew they probably should not be under water, but any extra pain she got, she figured she deserved. Turning the water off, she dried herself. She threw on a pair of pants, wrapped an ace bandage around her side, and put on a bunny t-shirt. She didn't put up her odangos. They reminded her of Sailor Moon. "Usagi-chan, hurry up." Luna said, coming in. "Ami's here. She wants to walk you to school. She looks almost as tired as you do." "Coming." Usagi threw her bag over her shoulder and trugded down the stairs as fast as she could without tearing her side open. Ami stood in the living room, talking to Ikuko. "Hey, Usagi-chan. Come on, if we hurry, we can make study hall." Ami said. "Bye, Mama. See you later." 'If I'm not dead.' "Okay. Sionara." Ikuko called, as Usagi and Ami walked out the door. The walked for a few blocks in silence. "Rei says you were pretty out of it." Ami said at last. "Yeah." Usagi replied. No matter what she thought of, her thoughts always went back to last night. "Oh, my god!" Ami looked ather watch, then back at Usagi. "Can you run?" "Why? I think so." "Because we're SO late!" "Oh!" Usagi shrieked, at took of as fast as she could go, which was pretty fast. "I think we'll make it..." Usagi gasped. "Maybe... USAGI! WATCH OUT!" AMi yelled. CRASH! Usagi ran right into someone. She fell back, lasnding on the concrete. "Oh, no! Dammit..." She moaned, as pain shot up her side. "Stupid damn stitches." She muttered. "Oh, gomen... I wasn't looking where I was going..." A man's hand came down to help her up. Usagi stood up. Blue met blue. The man and Usagi stared at each other. "Oh, no..." For a moment, the pain was forgotten. "Hey, you're that girl..." Mamoru said. "Come on, Ami." Usagi growled, trying to push past him. "But Usagi--" "I said, come on." "Uh-uh, *Usagi*. How's your side?" Mamoru asked. Ami's eyes widened, and her jaw fell. "I don't know what you're talking about." Usagi pushed past him and into the school gates. Ami followed her. Mamoru shook his head as he walked down the street a ways and into a building marked CROWN ARCADE. "Hey, Mamoru-kun. How's it going?" A blonde man behind the counter turned to get a coffee, black. "Just thinking, Motoki." Mamoru said. "Wow, there's something you don't see everyday. Star Scholar Thinks. There's a headline." "Not funny." "Okay, what's up? A girl? Nah... not the Ice- Man..." Motoki teased. "Actually, yes." Mamoru replied. Motoki was shocked into silence for a minute. Then, he practicly jumped over the counter and onto the stool beside his friend. "Uh-uh! No way! Who?" "I think her name's Usagi... I'm not sure." "Usagi? As in *Tsukino* Usagi? She comes in here almost everyday. Nice girl. She hasn't been in here the last couple days, though. I've seen her walk by, though. Blonde hair? Blue eyes? About fourteen..." "Yeah. She was dragged into the hospital last night by this girl with dark hair. They were both scratched up pretty bad, but Usagi was bleeding heavily, from this huge gash in her side. The other girl tried to throw this bogus story at me. I stitched her up and drove her home..." "Usagi? We must be talking about different people here. Usagi wpouldn't harm a fly... let alone come in like that. Why don't you come around after school let's out... she'll probably be here. I'll point Usagi out and you can tell me if it's her." "I'm pretty sure. She was with a girl with, get this, BLUE hair, and she ran into me, and knocked me down. The other girl called her Usagi." *************************** "Tsukino Usagi, Mizuno Ami. You're tardy." Haruna-sensei said. "That's an hour's detention." "Haruna-sensei, may I see you in the hall, please?" Usagi asked. She knew AMi had never had detention and wasnt about to get her in trouble. "Yes, Usagi?" Haruna shut the door after them. "Haruka-sensei, please do not hold Ami-chan accountable for this. She was helping me. I can't walk very fast." Usagi said. "Why not?" "I fell-- on a fence." Usagi lifted her shirt up a few inches and pulled down the ace bandage, revealing the jagged cut and the stitches. Haruka paled. "Of course not. Did you have trouble getting to school? That looks nasty." "No, I just could not walk fast." "Oh. I'll let your tardies go until it heals, Usagi. But you might want to start eariler, tomorrow." "Hai, Haruna-sensei." ******************************************* Part 2&3 is done, ado.